Movie awards: Unusual joins usual

Commentary

The Los Angeles Film Critics Circle has a reputation for sometimes picking unusual choices. This year, the critics honored "Amour" (picture and female actor Emmanuelle Riva), "The Master" (director P.T. Anderson, actors Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, production design), "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (supporting male Dwight Henry, music score). There was a tie for best female actor; the other winner is Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook").

Meanwhile, the Boston critics' society honored most of the same winners as the New York critics circle: "Zero Dark Thirty" (best film and director) and "Lincoln" (actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field). The Bostonians gave their lead female award to Ms. Riva for "Amour" and their supporting-male honor to Ezra Miller for "Perks of Being a Wallflower."

Also, the American Film Institute announced its list of the 10 best flicks of 2012, in alphabetical order: "Argo," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

•That's an odd assortment of Kennedy Center honorees this year: Dave Letterman, Dustin Hoffman, Buddy Guy, Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin. I still say the Brits have their own awards and honors. They get to be sirs and dames, for one thing, although those designations seem to be pretty indiscriminate these days. If I ever have a male child, I think I'll just name him Sir, give him a leg up in life (although I'm not sure about naming a daughter Dame). The KCH program will air Dec. 26 on CBS.

•I love "CBS Sunday Morning," but, really, the New York Times reporter who does new-technology features needs to stick with writing.

•I like driving around looking at Christmas decorations, but a lot of you ruin the effect by situating those dreadful inflatable things in among the lights. What makes me happy, though, is seeing a poor, deflated inflatable lying dead on a lawn.

•Creepiest six words around the holidays: "He sees you when you're sleeping."

•Good title for a radio a.m. show: "Morons in the Morning."

•I like the last line in the "Killing Them Softly" movie. Sorry, can't share it with you in a family newspaper (a phrase about as meaningful as "liberal media"). "Killing" is yet another hit-man movie (yawn, yawn, triple yawn). I'm about as sick of hit men as I am of serial killers. The movie does receive points for resurrecting Ketty Lester's '60s hit "Love Letters" (distinctive because of the gospel piano).

•Speaking of gospel piano, Iris DeMent gave us a taste of it Saturday in her concert at Orlando's Plaza Live. Her new album, "Sing the Delta," is gospely — as is some of her past material, fitting for a woman who grew up in a Pentecostal family. I saw DeMent years ago at a club (what is now The Social, I think); it was during her first burst of fame with the "Infamous Angel" CD. She has a distinctively eccentric voice and, the other night, was quite chatty. A lovely show, and I like how she came on the stage carrying her clunky purse and then stashing it by the piano bench. (DeMent, 51, has a small role in one of my Top 10 favorite movies of all time, 2000's "Songcatcher." Get it from Netflix now. Go on. I'll wait.)

•I'm enjoying the second season of "The Hour" on BBC America. It's set in a Brit TV studio in the '50s and is about producing a sort of "60 Minutes"-type news show. Romola Garai (Bel, the show runner) is even more beautiful this season (and I think a bit thinner); Ben Whishaw's hair is still impressive (like the young Hugh Grant's); I liked Dominic West, the show's slimy anchor, a whole heckuva lot better in "The Wire" — he's a real jerk in "The Hour."

•Jane Fonda said on a talk show that the role she really wanted was the lead in "Bonnie and Clyde." She reserved an epithet for the woman who won the part, by most accounts one of the most disliked women in movies.

•BTW, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, famous for her Florida novels, especially "The Yearling," died on this date in 1953. She was 57.

•Mags: Repeated use of "has got" in The New Yorker (Mr. Shawn must be spinning); what looks like a terrific "comedy issue" in Vanity Fair; a great quote from Libby Gelman Waxner in "Entertainment Weekly": "Some historians say that Abe might have been secretly gay and Mary Todd Lincoln might have been manic-depressive, like most Republican couples."

•Ask me if I care that the young British royals are having a baby. Go ahead, ask me.

The End Is Near

Yes, my faithful little Langoliers, some of you have noticed the hints. I will have just two columns after this one and then I'm surrendering. I still enjoy doing it, but, well, circumstance happens.

Actually, this could be my final Commander Coconut (not my real name) if the old Mayan prediction comes true and the world ends next Friday. I'll still write a column for Dec. 21 — in case the end comes late in the day, you can still read me.